


And Someday, You’ll Join the Stars

by cathRN26



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demigod Lotor, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, God Zarkon, Human AU, I guess???, Immortal Honerva, Immortal Lotor, M/M, human keith, idk how to tag sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 19:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17127506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathRN26/pseuds/cathRN26
Summary: As a demigod, Lotor was given one job: to act as a guardian for a human.  He always failed, accidentally allowing life after life to slip from his grasp as he watched them meet death before their mortal end.  It hurt at first, but he slowly numbed himself to welcome the disappointment when they all eventually succumbed to a similar fate.But when he was told to watch overhim, he felt an obligation to keep him alive - more than alive - no matter the cost.





	And Someday, You’ll Join the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Now that Voltron has ended, I can make stuff for my favorite ships without fear of what might happen to the characters. Hope you enjoy and comments are greatly appreciated!

From the moment he was created, he was damned to live a life of pain.

The first human he was assigned - no, _gifted_ \- was a common man.  Average looks, average strength, average aspirations.  He even bore a name which Lotor couldn’t bother to remember.

“ _Just keep him from dying early_ ,” Zarkon instructed.  “ _He deserves a good life_.”

 _Unlike myself_ , Lotor thought bitterly.

Watching the man was simple - almost as simple as the man himself.  Lotor easily grew tired of watching him everyday, disguised as a lowly baker in the village to keep an eye on the man.  The thought of watching this man for the rest of his mortal life made his stomach churn.

It was both a blessing and a curse when he mysteriously died on a passage through the woods.  He rode on a wagon with three other men, charged with delivering a shipment of arms to the kingdom’s armory.  As a baker, Lotor wasn’t allowed to come along, but he followed behind on foot. Thank the stars that he was given supernatural speed and endurance, along with another myriad of skills.

Everything was fine until they were ambushed by a group of bandits.  They made out with the weapons and left the four men for dead, the wagon broken and the horses stolen as a getaway.  Lotor dropped the cloaking spell that hid him from the humans, rushing over to the man whose life he was instructed to protect.

He pressed a shaky hand to the man’s chest, channeling all his energy in an attempt to heal his wounds, but it was too late.  His heartbeat was slowed too far beyond his reach.

“ _Please, live.  It is not your time_ ,” Lotor pleaded.

The man stared up at him with glossy eyes.

His father was not pleased, but nonetheless, Lotor was given a new human to watch, and the cycle of his misfortune began.

Life after life was lost in front of Lotor’s eyes.  A girl whose parents were murdered in front of her before having her throat slit, a boy who fell into a lake and drowned, a man who hung himself after losing the woman he loved to another.  Every single human Lotor was instructed to watch, he let die.

Not that he didn’t try to save them.  He never meant for any of them to be hurt, but fate had it out for him.  Even after thousands of years, not a single human under his protection lived out their natural life, no matter how hard he tried.  In his efforts to protect them, he ended up in extremely dangerous positions himself. Were he human, he would’ve died long ago.

The grief weighed down on his heart with every loss.  He may not have known the people he watched on a personal level, but he loved them.  They were like his children, people he would give his life to protect. His only wish was to preserve life.

He failed miserably every time.

Eventually, he allowed himself to dissociate from his human counterparts.  If he didn’t forge a bond with them - even if from a distance - he wouldn’t be hurt by their inevitable and untimely demise.  It worked, for a time.

Until he was given _him_.

A child named Keith, whom he was assigned from birth.  Soft black locks, pale skin, and violet eyes that captured the stars.  Lotor remembered him vividly; he was disguised as part of the hospital staff, after all.  He was there to take care of Keith in the nursery.

The boy was born to two loving parents.  Both beautiful and strong, sure to raise him well.

As always, tragedy struck, but not how Lotor expected.

Keith’s mother - Krolia, he recalled - was part of the military.  Just months after his birth, she was sent to fight in a war of a distant country.  She kissed Keith and his father goodbye, promising to return.

They never heard from her again.

She was declared missing for a few years, at least until they found the remains of her uniform on an unidentified corpse.  The picture of Keith and his father in the pocket was a dead giveaway - or, what used to be Keith. The photo of the sweet child’s face was blasted through with a bullet.

Lotor wished he could have done something to save her, but instead, he was posed as a babysitter who cared for Keith in his infant years.

Years went by and Keith was mostly unfazed by the lack of a mother.  He would ask about her to his father from time to time, and he would receive stories of how incredible she was.

“She’s part of the stars now,” his father told him.

“Will I ever see her again?  Up in the stars?” Keith asked.  He reached his small hand to the sky.

His father chuckled.  “Of course, Keith, but not for a long while.  You've got a nice, healthy life ahead of you before you’re gonna see your mom again.”

“Alright, Papa.”  The boy cuddled closer to his father, gripping onto the man’s jacket for extra warmth.

Lotor felt like he was intruding on the intimate moment, but he couldn’t look away.  He was silent from where he stood hidden among the trees, invisible to the human eye.

Then he saw fire.  A burning building, people flooding out quickly as they escaped the ash and smoke.  And among all those people running out, Keith’s father ran back in.

The building collapsed, Keith’s father and the girl he tried to rescue were rushed into the back of an ambulance.

He didn’t last long in the hospital after that.

The funeral attendance was sparse, consisting of only Keith and a few of his father’s colleagues.  Lotor was the one to bury the coffin, posed as a gravedigger, and his hands had never felt dirtier.

When the last bit of dirt was thrown on, Keith crumpled to his knees, slamming his fists into the soil and clawing at the ground.  Tears ran down his face and mixed with the dirt.

“No, Papa, no!” he screamed, and the other firemen tried to calm him, to no avail.  “Please don’t leave me like Momma. I don’t want you to leave!”

Lotor felt a pull at his heartstrings.  He knelt to the ground, resting a steady hand onto Keith’s shoulder.  He focused his mind on sending Keith positive energy, feeling the magic spark at his fingertips as it got to work.  Keith’s breathing slowly leveled out and his tears stopped flowing.

“Keith,” Lotor spoke, gentle and cautious, “your father did not leave.  He is with you, always, in spirit.”

“How would you know?” Keith asked.  He sniffled, using the back of his hand to wipe the snot from his nose.

“He is part of the stars now.”

Keith froze, his eyes going wide, but he said nothing.  Lotor took that as a sign to continue, a somber smile working its way onto his face.

“We are all made from what was once dust.  One day, when we die, we return to what we began as, and we help to create new life in the vast expanses of the universe.  Your father is alive and well, somewhere, among those stars.”

“We’re all made up of the same cosmic dust…” Keith muttered.

Lotor nodded and rose to his feet, allowing the other men to escort Keith away while he walked off with his shovel.

“Thank you, sir,” Keith said, turning back with a wave.  His lips were curved up into a small smile, eyed still ringed with red.

It was a small thing, but Lotor felt his heart warm at his words.  His charges never usually spoke to him or knew of his meddling, not that any of it was of much help.  But it felt good to be recognized for once.

He wouldn’t speak to Keith again for many years after that.

Since he didn’t have any other family, Keith was sent to live at the local orphanage.  Lotor watched him from a safe distance where he wouldn’t be seen or recognized. He found a temporary job as a barista at a cafe down the street, trendy and popular amongst high school and college students.

Keith slowly grew up, going from the weak little boy Lotor spoke with to an independent young man.  He excelled in school without much help or effort and even managed to receive a full scholarship to the college of his choice.

What he lacked was company.

Ever since losing his father, Keith closed in on himself.  Lotor noticed that he never played with any of the other children in the orphanage, he didn’t hang out with the kids at school.  He was silent, brooding, lonely. But he wasn’t happy being alone.

Every night, Lotor saw him climb up to the roof of the orphanage building, reaching up his hands to the sky as he made out the constellations.

Lotor worried when he left for college.  Keith had made it to eighteen - his “adult years”, as some might consider it - without much issue.  It was only a matter of time before something horrible befell him, taking his life in the process.

For some reason, the thought of Keith dying made Lotor sick in a way he had never felt before, sending chills running up his spine and his blood rushing to his head.

But everything seemed to be in order.  The college Keith chose was in a relatively safe area with a low crime rate.  It wasn’t too crowded and didn’t have many buildings or construction nearby. It seemed perfect.  Lotor got a job as the school campus librarian. He was given a lot of freedom to walk around and he often found himself using the time to keep an eye on Keith in between classes.  Not even out of protection, but of curiosity. Intrigue. Keith interested him like no other human had before.

He felt happy when Keith finally befriended someone.  An older student named Takashi Shirogane - Keith always called him Shiro - who took Keith under his wing and showed him the ropes of the school.  He was studying to be an astronaut; Keith was studying astronomy. They got along extremely well and formed a tight bond.

As happy as he was, Lotor felt something in him shatter every time he saw them together.  The small laughs they shared, the way Keith’s eyes would light up around him, how they were comfortable with physical touch.

He would be embarrassed to admit how relieved he felt when he heard Keith call him his “brother”.

It wasn’t until Keith was up late in the library that they spoke for the second time.  He was the only one there aside from Lotor himself, seated at a long oak wood table with a pile of books on star charts and planets.  Lotor sat behind the library counter, sipping away at a lukewarm cup of green tea. When he glanced at the clock and saw that it read two thirty-two a.m., Lotor sighed and got up from his seat, making his way over to the raven-haired man.

“I understand that the library is supposed to be open 24/7,” he said, “but I believe this is just ridiculous.”

Keith looked up from his book and blinked as he re-adjusted his focus.  He saw Lotor and stared at him with a blank expression. “Oh,” he finally mumbled, “sorry, sir.  I’ll just check these out and leave, then.”

“It’s not me I’m worried for.  You seem to be in need of some rest,” Lotor said, taking another drink of his tea.

“I’m fine, sir.  I’m not tired.”

Lotor scoffed.  “Those bags under your eyes would beg to differ.  Go to your dorm and get some sleep. I’ll save these books for you to pick up in the morning, whenever you get up.”  Remembering to place a bookmark between the pages, Lotor closed the books and gathered them up, bringing them to the library desk with his tea balanced on top.

Keith followed him warily, as if he wanted to argue but couldn’t find a reason to.  “Thank you, sir,” he said. “I, uh, really appreciate it.”

“Please, stop that.  There’s no need to call me ‘sir’.”

“Oh.  Then what’s your name?”

He thought for a minute, contemplating whether he should give his real name or a fake one.  Against his better judgement, he turned to Keith and said, “Lotor. Call me Lotor.”

“Well, thanks again, Lotor.  I’m Keith.” He watched as Lotor placed the books behind the desk, separated from the other titles stashed back there.  “I’ll come by around six -”

“Eight,” Lotor cut off.  He narrowed his eyes at the other man.  “You come by at _eight_ and not a moment earlier.  If you do, I’ll kick you out.  You need sleep.”

“Fine, eight,” Keith agreed with an eyeroll.  “Will you be here then? Don’t you need sleep, too?”

“Yes, I’ll be here.”  Lotor decided to ignore that second question.  It would be difficult to explain that _no_ , he is an immortal being who does not require sleep.  That was something for another time, or never.

That seemed like enough for Keith.  “Okay, see you tomorrow, Lotor. At _eight._ ”

“Goodnight, Keith.”

Sure enough, Keith arrived at eight a.m. sharp.  Lotor handed him the books he had saved and went back to scanning in the books from the return bins.  He didn’t expect Keith to take a seat on one of the stools at the front desk.

When he noticed Lotor staring at him in shock, he shifted awkwardly in his seat.  “Sorry,” he muttered, “am I not allowed to stay up here?”

Lotor was quick to answer.  “No, of course you can stay up here.  I was just surprised. No one ever seems to want to stay at the front desk with me.”

“Maybe they’re intimidated by your pretty face,” Keith joked.

“Pardon?”

“No, it was nothing,” Keith said with a quiet laugh.  “So, do you go here?”

Lotor drew his lips into a tight line.  “I work here, so yes.”

“Well, yeah, I meant do you go to school here.  I don’t recognize you from any classes and no one else seems to know you either.”

“I don’t attend school here,” Lotor answered.  “I just work here.”

“Ah, I see.”  After a bit of silence, Keith coughed into his fist and busied himself with reading up on the Canis Major.

When Lotor imagined how his next conversation with Keith might go, this wasn’t what he had in mind.  Regardless, this was what he was working with. “And, you?” he asked, much too long after Keith’s initial question to be normal.  “You attend classes here, correct?”

“Oh, yeah.  I’m studying astronomy.”   _I already knew that_ , Lotor thought.

“And how is it, learning of our star systems and the great beyond?”

Keith shrugged.  “Pretty boring, actually.  Our professor is going over really basic stuff right now, but I already learned about it during high school.”

“What are considered ‘the basics’ of astronomy?”

“Just simple constellations, facts on our solar system - the things that most people know.  And a lot of technical stuff like how things are formed, but the fun part is learning about the lore.  You know, like the story of the Ursa Major?”

“I’m unfamiliar with that myth.” _Liar.  I was there when it was fabricated._

“Really?  Wow, and I thought everyone knew that one.”  Keith tugged on the page of his book, itching to speak.

Lotor smiled.  “Tell me about it.”

At those words, Keith looked up at him, a certain spark in his eyes as he took a breath to tell him the story of the two bears, Callisto and Arcas.

Though usually quiet and reserved, Lotor had found that Keith could talk forever, so long as it was on a subject that interested him.  Keith recalled the myth with impressive detail, illustrating the story through his words so artfully that it truly did feel like the first time Lotor had heard it.  Had he not reminded Keith of his eleven a.m. math class, he was sure he would have forgotten.

That was the beginning for their relationship.  Keith would stop by the library and tell different stories of the stars while Lotor made them each a cup of tea before he sat down and listened.  He could listen to Keith talk all day. The way words rolled off his tongue so beautifully, the huskiness of his voice - it was so alluring to him.  Half the time, he didn’t even register what Keith was saying. He was too busy drinking in the moment of Keith sitting with him and telling him his favorite myths and legends.

When Keith started snapping his fingers in front of him to gather his attention, he realized he must have missed something.  “I apologize,” he said. “I didn’t catch that.”

“I, um,” Keith mumbled, scratching at his cheek nervously.  For a moment, Lotor could have sworn that he saw a tint of pink on his face, but he concluded it was probably a trick of the light.  “I asked if you were free this Saturday? You always seem to be working, so…”

“I believe I’m free.  Did you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, do you wanna grab lunch together or something?  There’s a nice deli nearby.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Cool.  I can text you the address.”  Keith dished his phone out of his pocket, pulling open the messages app and handing the device to Lotor.  “You can just punch in your number.”

Lotor shook his head, not making a move to grab the phone.  “I don’t have a phone, I’m afraid.”

Keith looked utterly dumbfounded, almost dropping his phone in shock.  “Wait, seriously?” he asked. “You don’t have a phone? How to you contact anyone?”

“I have no one to contact,” Lotor said.  It sounded more somber than he had intended.

“What about family?”

The thought of his mother and father made him shudder.  “I would… rather not speak with them.”

“Friends?”

“I have none, aside from you.”

Keith sunk back into his chair, tracing the edge of his tea mug with his finger.  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said awkwardly. “It’s alright, I’ll write down the address, or I could pick you up.  We could meet here first, instead?”

Lotor nodded.  “Yes, that would work.”

“Alright.  So, is noon good?”

“Noon,” Lotor agreed.  He felt a playful smirk tug at his lips.  “Any earlier, and I’ll kick you out.”

With an amused snort, Keith hopped down from his seat, downing the last of his drink and preparing to leave for class.

When the clock struck twelve that Saturday, Keith strolled into the library right on time, twirling his keys around his fingers.

“Ready to go?”

After cleaning up the counter and leaving one of the student volunteers in charge, Lotor stepped out from behind the desk and followed Keith out to his motorcycle.

It was a thrilling experience riding on the back of a motorcycle with Keith, wrapping his arms around the waist of the smaller man.  Keith lent him an extra helmet, but most of his long white hair still fell out from the bottom, left to viciously whip in the wind as they drove.

When Keith first got the motorcycle, Lotor could feel his heart beating out of his chest from fear.  Motorcycle accidents weren’t exactly common, but they were more prone to happen than car accidents, and the damage was much more severe.  But Keith had spent forever saving up for one and he rarely rode it since he preferred to walk, so Lotor let it slide, at least for the time being.

When they got to the deli, Keith ordered for them both and they took a seat at the window so that they could watch the passersby as they ate and exchanged conversation.

They started off with the usual topics: some talk of the planets, a few short stories of constellations that Keith hadn’t told to Lotor yet, a bit about how the library was going.  They had lulled into a comfortable silence when Keith chose to speak again.

“So, do you really not have any friends?”

Lotor nearly choked on his sandwich.  “No, I do not,” he coughed out, reaching for his sweet tea to wash it down.

“Oh… well I guess the only real friends I have are you and Shiro.  I, uh, met him earlier this year. He’s really helped me out, you know.”  Keith lifted his drink with a soft smile on his lips. “He’s tried introducing me to some of his other friends, but we don’t really get along that well.”

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge - as Lotor recalled. Good kids, as far as he was concerned, but when Shiro invited Keith over to watch a movie with them, it hadn’t turned out so well: Keith and Lance clashed immediately, Hunk was effectively intimidated and scared by Keith’s presence, and Pidge watched on with an uninterested indifference.

“It’s weird.  For as long as you’ve probably been alive, I would’ve thought you’d have more friends.”

Lotor’s blood ran cold.  “Excuse me?” he said with faux nonchalance.

“How old are you anyways?” Keith asked, paying no mind to answer Lotor.  “You look the same as the first time I saw you.”

“I don’t understand,” Lotor lied through his teeth.  “I only just met you a few months ago. It would be quite odd if I were to change much.”

“‘We’re all made up of the same cosmic dust’,” Keith quoted.  “Lotor, I’m not stupid. I know that was you.” He laughed for a moment at the thought.  “I wondered why you looked so familiar. I should have recognized the white hair.”

He supposed it was time to admit defeat.  “I never said that. That was you.”

“True,” Keith admitted, “but you taught me that.”

His cover was blown.  There was no turning back, so he might as well just move forward.

“I was simply adding onto what your father said.  About the stars.” Lotor looked down to fiddle with the bread of his sandwich.  He never expected to be caught by the human he was protecting, much less have it addressed during a civil lunch.

Then again, he had never spoken to any of them either, so Keith was a first for everything.

Keith’s face melted into a melancholic smile.  “He did say something like that, didn’t he?” He set down his drink and returned his attention to Lotor.  “So, what are you? Some kind of immortal god?”

“Somewhere along those lines.  More of a guardian, but I’d hardly consider myself a good one,” Lotor said.

“I’m still alive, so I would say you’re doing pretty well.”

_For now._

“You never answered my question.  How old are you, exactly?”

“I stopped keeping count centuries ago,” Lotor said, “although I would say somewhere around ten thousand years.”

“You look good for ten thousand.”

That brought a laugh to his lips.  “Thank you, Keith.” He took another bite of his sandwich before bringing to light a question that had been nagging him for a while.  “Keith? May I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How are you so calm?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I guess I’ve always felt like someone was watching over me.  Didn’t expect it to be you, though. No offense, but you’re oddly _human_ to be an immortal being.”

“I am only half god; a demigod, as you humans would call me.  My mother was a mere mortal, until my father met her.” Lotor hesitated, doubting that Keith was interested in the sad story of his conception.

However, Keith urged him to continue.  “Go on,” he said patiently. “You’ve listened to me plenty of times.  It’s time I returned the favor.”

“My mother was a researcher.  She studied the sun, the moon, the planets, the _stars_.  My father fell in love with her for her ambition and passion.  He used his power to gift her with immortality, so that she may stay by his side forever, living amongst the stars.  It wasn’t long before they had me.

“My father instructed me to watch over the humans, one at a time, making sure they wouldn’t die an untimely death.  My mother watched over all of mankind from the cosmos. They had high hopes for my success, but they never expected my failure.

“With every life I lost, their faith in me lessened.  Now, I believe it ceases to exist at all.”

“Lotor,” Keith said, and that single word held more power over him than his parents ever had, “I’m so sorry.”

“It is fine,” Lotor assured.  He reached over the table to cup Keith’s cheek in his hand, twirling a few locks of black hair between his fingers.  “I only hope that you do not meet your end anytime soon. I’ve grown quite fond of your company.”

“It’s lonely, isn’t it?” Keith asked.  His hands tightened into fists on the table.  “Living ten thousand years with no one… Have you ever spoken to the people you watch over?  Did they know about you?”

Lotor shook his head, not moving his hand from Keith’s face.  “You are the first.” As if it was an afterthought, he added on, “And, should I happen to meet my own end, I would be very happy if you were the last.”

He smiled softly as he watched Keith’s face morph from shock, to realization, to an odd sense of fondness that Lotor hoped he knew was mutual.

In hindsight, he should have expected it when Keith bit at his lip, as of holding something in.  He should have expected it when Keith’s fisted hands tightened even further, turning his knuckles white.  He should have expected it when Keith looked at him with a fire in his violet eyes, pink dusted over his cheeks and eyebrows furrowed slightly.

After all that, he was hit with complete surprise when Keith leaned forward to press his lips to Lotor’s, eyes closed and breath held.  Lotor let his hand fall, resting it on top of Keith’s still-tight fist, slowly easing it into a more relaxed position. His eyes fluttered closed as he relished in the feeling of Keith’s kiss, gentle and sweet with a slight tartness from his lemonade.

For the first time since his creation, Lotor felt _alive_.

It was nice what they had.  No, much more than nice. It was breathtaking, refreshing.  This change of pace was truly needed.

Lotor never understood the concept of romance, at least until now.  He never understood what force of love could make his father give up a bit of his infinite power to give a human the gift of immortality.  It confused him how something as trivial as romantic love could move someone to suicide when their feelings were unrequited.

Now, he understood.  To lose Keith would be to lose all meaning in life, and he was going to protect him no matter the cost.

Spending time with Keith outside of the library was a strange but welcome change.  They went out on “dates”, as the humans called them, venturing to different venues together.  As fun as the activities were, Lotor found that Keith’s company was all he truly cared for.

The first time he met Shiro, he and Keith had been together for over a year.  Keith and Shiro had moved into an apartment to save money and they found a place for a good deal within reasonable distance from the school campus.  Shiro was just as polite and friendly as Lotor had seen from his observations.

“So, you’re the guy Keith is always telling me about,” Shiro said as he shook hands with Lotor.  Keith huffed from behind him and crossed his arms, red rising to his face from embarrassment. “You’re welcome here anytime, Lotor.”

They sat together in the kitchen exchanging light banter when Shiro got up to answer an important business call.  “Is he aware of me,” Lotor began, “you know -”

“Being a demigod assigned to watch over me?” Keith finished with a laugh.  “No, I didn’t tell him. I don’t plan to, either, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Lotor let out a sigh of relief.  “Good.”

Years passed by with an odd tranquility.  Keith graduated without much issue, and Lotor was there to present to him a bouquet of red nasturtiums.  It was an unusual choice, but Lotor had selected them carefully for their meaning of “victory in battle”.  Graduating college was hardly a battle, but it was hard won victory nonetheless.

Keith and Shiro got jobs together working on a new space program, Keith as one of the researchers and Shiro as one of the few selected to launch into space.  They lived separately now, but were still as close as ever.

Lotor had moved in with Keith and the two experienced a new type of intimacy.  It warmed his heart and soul to see Keith wake up next to him every morning, to fix up a nice meal for them to share before sending him off to work, where Lotor would follow him into under the disguise of an intern.

Keith always knew when Lotor was following him.  It became a game between the two, with Lotor changing his form to sneak into different places to keep an eye on Keith and the latter trying to distinguish his shapeshifting boyfriend from the actual other human beings.

“You don’t always have to watch over me,” Keith teased, although truthfully, he rather enjoyed Lotor’s little antics.  “I’ll be fine for a few hours.”

“Well, Keith, you forget that it is quite literally my job to watch over you.”

“Hm, it’s a shame you don’t get paid.  Keeping me from dying must be a real handful.”

“It is, but I would take your safety as payment enough.”  Lotor pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before sending him out to work.

After months of preparation, it was time for the first launch of the space program.  Shiro was appointed as the head pilot and as a celebration and launch party, a small gathering was held on the roof of his apartment building the night before.

“Alright, Shiro!” Lance yelled, slinging an arm around the other man.  “I can’t believe you’re actually blasting off into space! Do you think there’ll be aliens up there?”

“I’m not going that far into space, Lance.”

“Hey, you never know.”

Shiro was kept effectively occupied and Keith wasn’t really able to get near him during the festivities.  It didn’t matter though; everything he needed to say was already spoken in private before the party began.

That didn’t stop him from being antsy during the whole night.  Lotor held his hand in his to try to calm him down and he felt Keith’s pulse slow to a more healthy rate.  He didn’t even need to use his magic to relax him. It was nice to know that his presence was enough to calm Keith’s nerves.

“You worry for him,” Lotor said.  “Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Keith said.  “I know he’ll probably be fine, too.  It’s just - Space is so big and scary.  I don’t wanna see him get hurt.”

Lotor squeezed Keith’s hand comfortingly.  “Let us hope my mother is watching him from the stars. Goodness knows she’s not watching over me.”

Keith chuckled quietly.  “Maybe my parents will keep an eye on him instead.”

“That might be better.”

The launch went off without a hitch.  When the team returned three days later, things went just as smoothly.  Lotor could feel the tension melt off of Keith when he found out Shiro was safe.

It was a shame that the launch wasn’t what he should have worried over.

The call came out of nowhere.  It had been months after the initial launch and they were preparing for a new expedition to a distant moon - Kerberos.  Keith and Lotor were on the couch of their apartment watching a cheesy comedy together when they received the news.

Both of them rushed to the hospital.  Words blurred together and it was hard to tell dreams from reality.  What was happening seemed too much like a nightmare.

Some kind of terminal disease, that’s what they said.  Keith couldn’t remember the name of it and he didn’t want to.

The doctors said Shiro would be gone in a week.

“How - He never told me about this,” Keith cried, standing next to Shiro’s sleeping figure on the hospital bed.

“He probably didn’t want anyone to worry.  He is very strong,” Lotor said. He held Keith close, gently cradling him in his arms while the smaller man buried his face in his neck, seeking warmth and comfort.

That night was difficult for Keith.  He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t rest. Lotor wrapped his arms around him, placing gentle kisses to his cheeks, his hair, his neck.  He filled his mind with happy memories to create a joyful aura in an attempt to help Keith’s mood. It helped a small bit, but it was nowhere near strong enough to ease him completely.

“He can’t die, Lotor,” Keith sobbed.  “He’s family to me. I can’t lose him, too.”

“It’ll be okay,” Lotor said in a hush voice.  “He will never truly die. He’ll simply -”

“Enough with all the talk of the stupid stars!” Keith suddenly snapped.  “I spent my whole life chasing after them and what do they give me? A bunch of people I care about, dead.  Everyone I love, everyone that matters to me _leaves_ me for the stars.  I just - Why can’t someone _stay_ , for once?”

 _I would stay for you_ , Lotor wanted to say.  But for some reason, he couldn’t.

He couldn’t make this about himself.  This was about Keith.

It took a few moments for him to calm down, and when he did, Keith let remorse take over his face.  “I’m so sorry for that, Lotor. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, this isn’t your fault.”

“Quiet, Keith.  It is alright. Rest, my love.”

Every day that passed, Keith’s condition got worse.  He would spend the entire day sulking, his hair messy and his feet heavy.  His eyes were sunken in and hollow - the stars had left them dark. He went about his work without passion, without love, without _anything_.  He was a shell of his former self.  Lotor’s presence brought back some of his usual fire, but it would only work for so long.

Shiro passed in the hospital unceremoniously.  His funeral was put together by Keith and Lotor, and all of his friends came to see him buried.  It was a grave turn from the last time they all gathered.

When the time came for him to be buried, the sun had begun to set and the stars began peeking out from the dark sky.  Everyone soon left aside from Keith and Lotor when the moon came out to replace the sun, and the former sunk to his knees in defeat, resting his hands on the gravestone.

Lotor frowned at the sight.  “Keith, my love…”

“He’s gone, Lotor,” Keith mumbled.  It was almost inaudible. “He’s dead.”

“He is alive in your heart.”  Hesitantly, he added, “He is alive in the stars.”

“He’s _dead_.  He’s never coming back.”

 _It seems the dead one is_ you _, Keith_ , Lotor thought sadly.  His heart broke at the sight.

Like all the other humans he failed, it seemed that he finally failed Keith as well.  He may be alive physically, but in spirit, Keith was already deceased.

_If only there was something more I could do._

Then he realized, there _was_ .  Lotor looked up at the stars above, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he thought of how he could finally, _finally_ save his human, for once.

The cost was great, but he was willing to pay the price.

“Honerva,” Lotor prayed quietly, “ _Mother_ , please grant me this strength.”

He stepped towards Keith, taking his hands in his, and pulled him to his feet.  “Lotor? What are you doing.”

“Trust me, Keith,” he said in a whisper.  “And please, forgive me.”

He pulled Keith into a desperate kiss, cupping his hands around Keith’s face as he closed his eyes tightly.  Keith pressed against Lotor so that they were flush together, hugging his arms around the taller man and gripping onto him as if he might disappear right then and there.  Tears mixed onto their lips - on both their parts - and left a salty taste in their mouths, but nothing could ruin the beauty of the moment for either of them.

It felt like an eternity before they broke apart.  When they did, Lotor led them away from the grave before standing in front of Shiro’s headstone himself, kneeling down and pressing his hands atop the dirt.

Purple light emanated from the ground, glowing softly at first, then becoming so strong and bright that blinding rays shot out from beneath them.  Keith stumbled back, holding his hands up to block out the light, but he watched between the cracks of his fingers.

Lotor stepped away to join Keith, who watched in amazement as the soil broke away to reveal Shiro, surrounded by a lavender glow.  He was alive and breathing, with hair as white as stardust.

“H-How?” Keith said incredulously.  He laughed as he ran his hands through his hair, a new onslaught of tears running down his face with joy.  “Lotor, what did - _Lotor?_ ”

Lotor looked down at himself, his body glowing with a light blue.  Small balls of lights came off of his mind like sparkles, floating up into the sky where they become lost among the stars.

 _The stars_.

“What… What’s happening, Lotor?”

It was an old rule of the gods.  One could sacrifice a small bit of power and transfer it to another.  This could give them immortality, added abilities, or simply a longer, healthier life.  It was how Zarkon granted Honerva her own immortality.

But, Lotor wasn’t a god.  He was immortal, yes, but his power was limited.  He didn’t have the same power to offer as his father had.

So he offered his life.

Piece by piece, his body broke away into the little lights that flew up towards the sky.  Keith grabbed at him to try to stop the process, but he instead caused a chunk of Lotor’s left shoulder to dissipate into more blue dust.  “No, no, Lotor. Please, don’t leave me. This - This isn’t what I wanted.”

Lotor offered a small smile, and, for the last time, he rested a hand on Keith’s cheek, wiping away his tears with his thumb.

“I don’t want you to go,” Keith said gently.  “I - I love you.”

“I would never leave you, Keith,” Lotor said.  Keith leaned into his touch, closing his eyes slowly.  “I will be waiting for you amongst the stars. Do not let my sacrifice be in vain.  Live your life, long and happy, then come to me and we can spend eternity together.”

He pressed a chaste kiss to Keith’s lips as a final farewell, and two soft, purple marks shone on Keith’s cheeks - the Marks of the Chosen.  The same marks his mother earned when Zarkon chose her.

“Goodbye, Keith.  Even as I return to cosmic dust, I will always love you.”

His body slowly faded away, every bit of the small lights going to join the stars.  And when he saw Keith tearfully reunite with Shiro on the now-empty grave, he knew he made the right choice.

From the stars, Lotor watched as Keith lived his life.  Happy, joyful, without regret. He never married - that, Lotor was oddly grateful for - but he still found a family in those around him.  He opened up to Shiro’s friends. He opened up to the world as a whole. He enjoyed every moment he was alive up until his final breath when he passed peacefully in his sleep.

It was due to old age.

And when he passed, his soul found its way up to the stars.  He felt like he was back in his old body, all those years ago, when Lotor gave his life for his sake.

There to greet him were his parents, who had passed long ago.  Shiro, who died just a few years before him for the same reason as himself.  Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura - all the people he had met and befriended throughout his long life, who had died before he did, who were waiting for him now.

And Lotor.  He was just as beautiful as Keith remembered, with flowing white hair and brown skin that was free of any and all markings.  Deep blue eyes that held the cosmos.

Keith lunged into his waiting arms, holding onto the fabric of Lotor’s clothes like his life depended on it.  Salty tears ran down his face and he wondered why it was possible to cry in the afterlife.

“I missed you,” Keith said into Lotor’s chest.  He felt Lotor’s arms tighten around him, and when he spoke, his heart fluttered.

“Welcome home, Keith.”


End file.
